Garden Refresh in Finchley Central N3

The Brief

A North London family in Finchley Central N3 had a back garden that had quietly fallen behind. The fence was a tired natural-timber close-board run, the borders were thin and overgrown, and the patio area was looking dull. They wanted a real refresh, something that would feel like a finished, considered garden by the end of the week rather than a never-ending project.

What We Did

• Built new railway-sleeper raised beds along the full length of the perimeter, painted black so they would read as a single quiet boundary rather than three competing materials.
• Painted the existing close-board fence run with Royal Exterior Protek in black, finished from inside the bed so the timber under the sleeper edge stayed protected. Royal Exterior is a long-life timber treatment, so the colour will hold for several seasons before a refresh is needed.
• Installed Chelsea Premium Square trellis panels along the top of the fence run, painted to match. Adds about 30 cm of height for climbers to grow into without making the fence feel oppressive.
• Filled the new beds with quality compost and planted a mix of evergreen structure and seasonal colour, choosing variegated photinia, cordyline, climbing jasmine and lower-growing heuchera for ground-level interest. Plants chosen for the aspect of the bed (mixed sun/shade) and to read well against the dark fence behind.
• Pressure washed the patio as part of the same visit so the whole garden read as a single refresh rather than a half-done job.

The Result

A coherent back garden with a single quiet dark boundary, fresh planting that has presence from day one, and a clean patio surface to sit on. The black sleeper beds + black trellis + black-painted fence gives the planting a strong backdrop that makes both the evergreens and the seasonal flowers read more vividly than they would against a faded natural timber background.

Job duration: Approximately one working week on site for the build, paint, plant and pressure wash. Plants chosen for the aspect were grown-on and ready to drop in so the bed read as established at handover rather than spaced-out and bare.

Gallery